Spinach & Cheese Strata
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Layered with spinach, cheese, and bread, and soaked in a savory custard, this make-ahead strata is ideal for entertaining.
A strata is a layered casserole made with bread, eggs, cheese, and sometimes vegetables or meat (strata means layers). Think of it as a savory bread pudding or breakfast casserole. This spinach version is richly flavored with Gruyère, Parmesan, and Dijon mustard. It’s the perfect vegetarian brunch dish to feed a crowd. You do all of the preparation the night before, let the strata rest in the fridge overnight, then pop it in the oven in the morning. As it bakes, it puffs up like a cheese soufflé, making it a real showstopper. The strata does fall a bit as it cools, but it’s still impressive. For an elegant brunch, serve the strata with bacon (for perfectly crispy bacon, learn how to cook bacon in the oven), a strawberry & orange fruit salad, and mimosas.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Spinach & Cheese Strata
Before we get started, a few words about the ingredients. It’s important to use good quality cheese. The recipe calls for a combination of Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, but since they are both expensive, feel free to substitute other good melting cheeses with bold flavor, like extra-sharp cheddar. The recipe is pretty flexible, so you can play around with different sautéed vegetables depending on what you have on hand. Some cooked sausage or pancetta would be a nice addition; just be sure to reduce the salt in the recipe to a scant teaspoon or the strata will be way too salty.
Be sure to squeeze all of the water out of the spinach. Take your time; it’s important to get it all out or the strata will be watery.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the spinach and garlic and cook a few minutes more.
Layer a third of the cubed bread in a buttered 3-quart or 9×13-inch baking dish.
Top with a third of the spinach.
Followed by a third of each cheese.
Repeat layering twice, ending with the cheese.
Make the custard by combining the whisked eggs, half-and-half-Dijon mustard salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Whisk evenly to combine.
Pour evenly over top of the strata, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
Bake for about 70 to 80 minutes, until puffed, set and golden all over.
Note: My starting point for this recipe was this popular strata originally published in Gourmet magazine. I increased the spinach; amped up the flavor by adding garlic and increasing the salt; swapped the milk for half-and-half; and reduced the baking temperature from 350°F to 325°F for a creamier texture.
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Spinach & Cheese Strata
Layered with spinach, cheese, and bread, and soaked in a savory custard, this make-ahead strata is ideal for entertaining.
Ingredients
- 1 pound bag chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 12 ounces (¾ pound) Italian sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 11 slices or 8 cups)
- 6 ounces (1½ cups) coarsely grated Gruyère
- 2 ounces (⅔ cup) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 9 large eggs
- 2¾ cups half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1¾ teaspoons salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
- Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
- Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 483
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated fat: 16g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Sugar: 4g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Sodium: 1117mg
- Cholesterol: 280mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Could this be frozen after soaking, before cooking (or partially cooked)?
Hi Megahn, If you want to freeze it, I’d recommend freezing it after baking.
Hi Jen, not sure my market has Italian bread. Would sourdough work or should I keep looking? Thank you so much for answering questions Barbara Riddle
Sure, Barbara, sourdough will work. Enjoy!
Sorry, we were not a fan of this recipe. My husbands first bite was “it’s to much cheese”. I followed the recipe to a T. I just found it to be bland. I guess we just prefer a spicier casserole. I would suggest adding sausage to maybe kick it up a notch.
Could this be Made in a Crock pot? I need to bring breakfast casserole to a lady’s brunch but I’m worried cold strata may not be great. Suggestions?
Hi Kristy, I don’t have much experience using a crockpot, so it’s hard to say for sure how this would turn out in one. You could fully prepare/bake this in advance and then reheat it once you get to the hostess’s house. In case you want to research using a slow cooker, here are some tips on converting recipes that you may find helpful.
Thanks for your reply !!! I love your cookbook and blog . My 7 year old daughter and I cook almost exclusively from your ideas . The strata turned out great . I just took it in a insulated carrier. We added sausage and topped with pepper flakes to give it a kick . We also took the berry trifle and chocolate croissant bread pudding (everyone’s favorite😉)
Thanks for the follow-up Kristy – so glad you had success with the strata (and the trifle and bread pudding)! 🙂
This was a huge hit for our brunch party yesterday! As a new mom who needed to feed a crowd without much time on my hands, I loved being able to make this the night before and then simply pop it into the oven the next day. Everyone at the brunch requested the recipe, which is always a great endorsement. I’m sure I’ll be making this for years to come!
I added 1/2 pound of sweet Italian sausage but otherwise did not change a thing. It was delicious! This will be my go too brunch item!
Hi Jen. This sounds delicious and I’m planning on making for Easter brunch. However I have a guest coming who hates the taste of mustard in anything. Can the Dijon be replaced with something else or just eliminated ? I’m concerned that eliminating it will take away from the final product.
Hi Debbie, The Dijon does add flavor but I think it’d be fine to just leave it out. Hope that helps!
I made this strata for Christmas Brunch. It was a hit with everyone, especially my vegetarian daughter! My husband browned some sausage patties for the meat eaters, and my daughter-in-law brought Mimosa ingredients. I served it with the homemade cinnamon streusel sour cream coffee cake. This is a dream recipe because you can make it up the night before and pop it in the preheated oven the next morning. Easy peasy Brunch! I’m thinking of repeating for Easter.
Our family absolutely loves this recipe!! We have been making it every Easter Brunch for the past three years.
I had made many of your recipes and all are amazing!! I can always count on the recipe to come out great!!
Thank you!!
Hi Jen,
I would like to use sharp cheddar as one of the cheeses, would swiss be a good choice for the other?
Sure, Linda, I think will work nicely. Hope you enjoy!